The Final Villain Has Fallen to the Lust Demon - Chapter 1.8

Since a defective product who couldn’t even act as a knight had collapsed while trying to catch the eye of the prince she had a crush on, she must have been chewed out quite a bit in social circles for a while.

‘Why is my face getting hot…….’

Anyway, as a result, Demian came to know that the heir to the House of Heron had a crush on Frid.

Demian had even said such words to Levi, who blocked him to protect the Imperial Palace on the day he started the rebellion.

“Levi Heron. Are you saying you can even die for the sake of Frid?”

‘Since she’s a woman who has a crush on his rival, it’s natural for Demian to be wary from his perspective.’

Thinking about it, from Demian’s perspective, I wouldn’t have felt much different from other figures.

People who act as if they are equally loyal to everyone in the Imperial family on the outside, but in reality, support the powerful Empress Iselda and her son, the Second Prince Frid.

Reaching this thought, I understood why Demian was being a bit prickly toward me.

However, in this life, I have no intention of overstepping my bounds by coveting the Second Prince.

To avoid dying a dog’s death by the rebel army, it was necessary to clearly convey that intention to Demian, who considers me Frid’s close associate.

I’ll have to find that way gradually, but the way to get through the current situation is…… yes.

“Cough, cough.”

I squeezed out some pathetic acting and coughed a few times.

Fortunately, the image of the sickly Levi Heron covered for my acting skills.

“I apologize. I was so excited at the thought of finally attending the Academy entrance ceremony that I failed to notice my surroundings.”

“Finally entering?”

“Yes. Because I had delayed the time of admission by a year due to my health.”

“…….”

Demian, who had a mother who died young due to illness, held his tongue for a moment, perhaps seeing her in my image.

Taking advantage of the momentum, I continued, recalling a painting I had barely found in the mansion after the possession.

“And this may sound a bit silly…… perhaps because I’ve looked at the painting hanging in the mansion for so long, I momentarily failed to connect it to your grown-up appearance.”

In the minds of both Demian and me right now, a similar painting would be appearing.

Her Majesty the Empress and Demian smiling brightly.

My mother, who was still healthy, and me.

Noblewomen of similar ages and children of the same age.

Those several paintings drawn with a light heart by the Imperial painters captured the scene of a picnic held by a lakeside one day.

There were so many characters that it was embarrassing to call it a painting steeped in memories between Demian and me.

Nevertheless, that painting was the first thing Demian, who had been kicked out of the Imperial Palace, sought after he started a rebellion and re-entered the palace.

I couldn’t know the intimate details since they didn’t appear in the novel, but perhaps it’s because that was the last memory Demian shared with Her Majesty the Empress.

‘Because her symptoms worsened rapidly after that and she passed away soon after.’

In any case, it was a precious memory for Demian, and my house also had one of the sketches depicting the picnic of that day.

Using that was my secondary strategy.

It didn’t mean I intended to gain romantic interest from this man who maintained an obsessive celibacy to ascend to the position of Crown Prince.

His iron wall was so great that it wouldn’t even be possible.

However, since Demian was a human, not a robot, it seemed possible to stimulate the emotional lines that anyone would have.

So that even if Demian starts a rebellion, he won’t be able to cut me down with a single stroke.

If possible, it would be good if I could also instill the impression that I am not Frid’s knight who has a crush on him, but a neutral person loyal to the Imperial family.

As expected, whether he recalled the painting containing memories of his mother, Demian looked at me with a much more relaxed face.

“To bring up that old story, you have a knack for glossing things over. Is the memory not faint since it was your childhood?”

“…….”

“I don’t intend to punish a Young Lady who adores Frid just because she lowered her head a bit late out of disappointment.”

Seeing his manner of speaking, which was subtly mocking even though only the coldness that had been lingering had softened slightly, it was certain that this guy was the villain.

Because he seemed to continue thinking of me as a Young Lady who loved Frid so much that she would collapse just by locking eyes, a timid excuse popped out.

“On that day, there were many people and I just fainted because I was suffocated by the heat.”

“No need to make excuses. How much must the fever have risen for the sword of the Imperial family to just collapse like that?”

He smirked once more as if to say it was a joke and brushed past me.

“Levi Heron. I’ll keep in mind that you entered as a freshman this year.”